The Dispatch

Royal Navy to send ships to Ukraine to defend itself against Russian threat

The Royal Navy is to send ships to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia threat in the Black Sea for the first time. Ben Wallace said that the new Maritime…

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Russia reports 4,828 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 4,828 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, pushing its nationwide tally to 937,321, the fourth largest in the world. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 117 people had died over the…

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Kremlin says it sees no need to help Belarus militarily

The Kremlin said on Wednesday there was no need for Russia to help Belarus militarily or otherwise amid the unrest over its contested Aug. 9 presidential election and that Belarus…

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Belarusian opposition leader asks EU not to recognise election result

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed to European Union leaders on Wednesday not to recognise what she said were fraudulent presidential elections, urging the bloc to respect the choice of…

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Ukraine reports record daily high of 1,967 new coronavirus cases

Ukraine registered 1,967 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday, a new daily record for infections in the country. The data given by the national…

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Lukashenko decries ‘attempt to seize power’

The nascent political opposition in Belarus set up a council inside the country, a move President Alexander Lukashenko denounced as an attempt to seize power 10 days after an election…

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Belarus President hints at new wave of repression

Belarusian president has hinted at a new wave of repression, in another sign he is seeking to outlast a protest movement that has brought him face-to-face with former supporters calling…

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Testing of CanSino’s COVID-19 candidate vaccine begins in Russia

A late-stage trial of a COVID-19 candidate vaccine from CanSino Biologics Inc has started in Russia, registration records showed, as the Chinese pharmaceutical firm steps up testing abroad to close…

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Russia reports nearly 5,000 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 4,892 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, pushing its tally so far to 927,745, the fourth largest in the world. Authorities said 55 people had died…

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Putin, Erdogan discuss conflicts in Libya, Turkish, Qatari and German ministers visit Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The…

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Lukashenko says he is ready to share power in Belarus

Facing growing protests that have posed the biggest challenge to his 26 years in power, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday he was ready to share power in Belarus, although…

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Belarusian opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya says she is ready to lead nation

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Monday she was ready to lead Belarus and called for the creation of a legal mechanism to ensure that a new fair presidential…

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EU must support peaceful Belarus protesters, France’s Macron says

The European Union should support demonstrations in Belarus following the country's presidential election, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. "The European Union must continue to be mobilised in support of the…

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Hundreds gather in Prague, Warsaw to support Belarus protesters

Crowds gathered in Prague and Warsaw on Sunday to show their support for protesters in Belarus who are demanding President Alexander Lukashenko step down after what they say was his…

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Protestors in Belarus call for help for a ‘motherland in danger’

Belarusians chanting “Step down!” filled the centre of the capital Minsk on Sunday in the biggest protest so far against what they said was the fraudulent re-election a week ago…

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Belarusian leader appeals to Russia as pressure to quit grows

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday issued an appeal to long-term ally Russia as he faced growing pressure to step down following a disputed election that has triggered protests at…

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Russia, Malta agree to raise withholding tax on interest, dividend payments to 15%

Russia and Malta have agreed to amend their taxation treaty, Russia's finance ministry announced on Friday, raising the withholding tax rate for interest and dividend payments to 15%, with exceptions…

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Russia starts production of COVID-19 vaccine

Russia has started manufacturing its new vaccine for COVID-19, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the health ministry. Russia has said the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute…

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Protests swell in Belarus, Lukashenko blames foreigners

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko told people to stay at home to avoid becoming "cannon fodder" for what he said were foreign-backed revolutionaries after huge crowds took to the streets for…

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EU to impose new sanctions on Belarus

Germany's foreign minister said on Friday the European Union will impose new sanctions on Belarusian officials responsible for cracking down on protests triggered by a disputed election last Sunday. President…

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Poland braces for influx from Belarus after crackdown

Poland is bracing for an influx of people from neighbouring Belarus after a violent crackdown on post-election protests there but wants to maintain border security, deputy foreign minister Marcin Przydacz…

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Belarusian opposition leader calls for new protests and vote recount

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called for more peaceful protests and urged supporters to sign an online petition demanding a recount of a presidential election, in which she…

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Russian doctors wary of rapidly approved COVID-19 vaccine, survey shows

A majority of Russian doctors would not feel comfortable being injected with Russia's new COVID-19 vaccine due to the lack of sufficient data about it and its super-fast approval, a…

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Czech PM joins call for Belarusian elections rerun

The Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called for the presidential election in Belarus to be rerun with independent monitoring, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, POLITICO reports. Protests…

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Russia reports more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 5,065 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing its nationwide tally to 912,823, the fourth highest caseload in the world. Russia's coronavirus crisis response centre said…

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Russia’s coronavirus cases surpass 907,000

Russia reported 5,057 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, bringing its nationwide tally to 907,758, the fourth largest caseload in the world. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 124 people…

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Second protester dies in Belarus as UN sounds alarm

A protester has died in Belarus in police custody, the second death since clashes with police erupted on Sunday over a disputed presidential election. Officials say the cause of death…

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Record daily jump in coronavirus cases in Ukraine

Ukraine recorded a record daily jump of 1,592 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the national council of security and defence said on Thursday. The number of infections has increased sharply in…

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Armenia extends state of emergency over coronavirus until Sept. 11

Armenia on Wednesday extended a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak until Sept. 11 despite a decline in number of daily infections. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a government…

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Russia’s coronavirus case tally passes 900,000

Russia's confirmed coronavirus case tally, the fourth largest in the world, rose to 902,701 on Wednesday after officials reported 5,102 new infections. Authorities said 129 people had died in the…

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Russia says allegations COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe are groundless

Russia said on Wednesday the first batch of its Covid-19 vaccine would be ready for some medics within two weeks and rejected as "groundless" safety concerns aired by some experts…

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German health minister says he’s sceptical about Russian COVID-19 vaccine

German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday said Russia's COVID-19 vaccine had not been sufficiently tested, adding the aim was to have a safe product rather than just being first…

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New clashes in Belarus

There were new clashes Tuesday night in Belarus after the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya said she had fled abroad for the sake of her children after strongman leader Alexander…

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WHO lacks info to evaluate Russian COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organization has not received enough information on the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to evaluate it, the assistant director of its regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization, Jarbas…

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EU declares Belarus elections “neither free nor fair”

In a strongly-worded statement, the European Union, through its High Representative, has condemned developments in Belarus, saying that the people of Belarus had clearly demonstrated the desire for democratic change. However,…

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Russia becomes first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of…

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Belarus Opposition leader flees to Lithuania as clashes continue following contested election

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya has joined her children in neighbouring Lithuania, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, after two nights of clashes following the contested re-election of President Alexander…

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Opposition in Belarus refuses to recognise official election win by Lukashenko

Belarusian opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanouskaya said on Monday she refused to recognise official results that showed incumbent Alexander Lukashenko had won a landslide re-election victory. Preliminary official results earlier on…

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Russia reports more than 5,100 new coronavirus cases

Russian authorities confirmed 5,118 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, pushing the national case tally to 892,654, the fourth largest in the world. The official death toll rose…

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Belarusian election commission says Lukashenko was re-elected by a landslide

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko won re-election with 80% of the vote at the country's presidential election, the Central Election Commission cited preliminary results as saying on Monday. Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a…

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Clashes in Belarus after poll predicts Lukashenko victory

Police in Belarus fired water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades in a crackdown on protests that erupted on Sunday as President Alexander Lukashenko was set to claim another election…

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Exit poll shows Lukashenko is set to win Belarus presidential election with 80% support

A preliminary exit poll has given Belarus' longtime leader Lukashenko nearly 80 per cent of the vote, according to Russian media reports. Main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, meanwhile, received 6.8…

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Russia’s coronavirus cases surpass 885,000

Russia reported 5,189 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, bringing its nationwide tally to 887,536, the fourth largest caseload in the world. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 77 people…

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Belarus holds election as street protests rattle strongman president

Belarus votes in an election on Sunday pitting President Alexander Lukashenko against a former teacher who emerged from obscurity to lead the biggest challenge in years against the man once…

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Germany, France and Poland urge for free and fair election in Belarus

Germany, France and Poland are observing developments in Belarus with "great concern" ahead of the presidential vote this weekend, they said in a joint statement on Friday, urging authorities to…

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Photo Story: The fires in Russia’s eastern Siberia from space

A handout satellite image made available by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shows smoke plumes billowing from fires burning in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), in the eastern Siberian…

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Ukraine reports steady rise in COVID cases, deaths

Ukraine has recorded a steady daily increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks and the health ministry is urging people to observe safety measures to stop the epidemic getting out…

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Russia’s coronavirus cases surpass 875,000

Russian authorities reported 5,241 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, pushing its national tally to 877,135, the fourth largest in the world. The official death toll rose to…

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Russia reports more than 5,200 new coronavirus cases

Russian authorities reported 5,267 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, pushing its national tally to 871,894, the fourth largest in the world. The official death toll rose to…

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Russia in talks with Netherlands on changing tax deal

Russia's Finance Ministry said it had proposed to the Netherlands to revise the countries' bilateral tax agreement and raise taxes on dividends to 15%. President Vladimir Putin proposed this year…

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Russia introduces COVID-19 express tests at major airports

Russia is expanding COVID-19 express tests to other major air hubs in Moscow after using them at the country’s busiest airport, Sheremetyevo, in the capital, the Russian Direct Investment Fund…

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Russia’s coronavirus cases surpass 865,000

Russia reported 5,204 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing its nationwide tally to 866,627, the fourth largest caseload in the world. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 139 people…

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Ukraine reports record daily new coronavirus cases

Ukraine reported a record daily high of 1,271 new coronavirus cases on Aug. 4, the country's council of security and defense said on Wednesday. The number of new infections has…

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Voting Begins in Stormy Belarus Presidential Vote

Early voting began in Belarus today ahead of a presidential election in which strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko will seek a sixth term after ensuring that his main rivals were barred…

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Russia to deliver COVID-19 drug to S.Africa, Latam countries – wealth fund

Russia has signed deals to supply South Africa and seven Latin American countries with an anti-viral drug Russian authorities have approved to treat COVID-19, its sovereign wealth fund said on…

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Russia reports more than 5,300 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 5,394 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, pushing its national tally to 856,264, the fourth largest in the world. Officials said 79 people had died in the…

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Russia to scrap Cyprus tax deal after talks fail

Russia's finance ministry said on Monday it would scrap an agreement with Cyprus aimed at avoiding double taxation after talks to modify the deal failed, and that legal changes would…

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